Mount Sopris is a twin-summit

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in the northwestern Elk Mountains range of the

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. The prominent mountain is located in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness of White River National Forest, north by northeast ( bearing 30°) of the community of Redstone in

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Mountain

Mount Sopris is located in western

, south of Carbondale and southwest of the confluence of the

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and Roaring Fork rivers. Mount Sopris is notable for having two summits, East Sopris and West Sopris, that are one-half mile (0.8 km) apart and have the same elevation of .The peaks are connected by a saddle at elevation of about 12,660 feet, giving them a relative

prominence In topography, prominence or relative height (also referred to as autonomous height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contour line encircling ...

of just around 300 feet. Hence by the usual 300 foot prominence rule for Colorado summits, the two summits are on the borderline of being considered separate peaks. It is named for Richard Sopris, a former

mayor of Denver This is a list of mayors of Denver, the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Mayors of Denver can now serve three four-year terms. List See also *List of municipalities in Colorado * Bibliography of Colorado *Geog ...

and part of the first European expedition in the Roaring Fork Valley. In 2011 J.P. McDaniels petitioned to rename East Sopris "Mount

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" after the Colorado singer. A local poll in Aspen and Carbondale said 74 percent of the respondents were against the proposal. Mount Sopris is believed to have been formed by an igneous intrusion 10,000 feet below the Earth's surface, geologically referred to as a pluton, that occurred around 30 million years ago, after the initial uplift of the modern Rocky Mountains. Mount Sopris is not a volcano, but it is possible that an ancient volcano sat above it, with the current rock forming the magma chamber far below. Due to subsequent continued erosion, any evidence is now gone. In either case, the rock that makes up Sopris never reached the surface, cooling and crystallizing in situ, and later becoming exposed due to erosion. Nearby prominent peaks Mount Gunnison and

Crested Butte Crested Butte is a prominent mountain summit in the Elk Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The peak is in Gunnison National Forest, northeast by east ( bearing 59°) of the Town of Crested Butte in Gunnison County, C ...

are believed to have formed similarly. Mount Sopris dominates the skyline of Carbondale and the lower Roaring Fork Valley, serving as an unofficial symbol of the area. It is prominently visible from State Highway 82 in the vicinity of Carbondale. In terms of local relief, it is one of the largest peaks in the state of Colorado. For example, West Sopris rises 6,400 ft (1,905 m) above the valley to the west in only 2.7 mi (4 km). (One can compare this to the corresponding vertical rise of the more well-known Maroon Peak in the heart of the Elks: it rises only about 4,300 ft (1,310 m), at best, in the same horizontal distance.) In fact a vertical rise of over 6,000 feet in less than 3 miles is rare and impressive anywhere in the

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. Fred Beckey, ''

Cascade Alpine Guide Friedrich Wolfgang Beckey (14 January 1923 – 30 October 2017), known as Fred Beckey, was an American rock climber, mountaineer and book author, who in seven decades of climbing achieved hundreds of first ascents of some of the tallest peaks and ...

'', The Mountaineers.

Hiking/Climbing

The Mount Sopris Trail ascends to East Sopris via its east ridge. It starts near Dinkle Lake, on the northeast side of the mountain, and passes between the two Thomas Lakes just before reaching timberline. The ascent involves about 4,300 ft (1,300 m) of vertical gain (plus 600 ft/180 m for a round-trip to West Sopris, if desired) and 12 mi (20 km) of hiking (plus 1 mi/1.6 km for West Sopris); it is a strenuous trail hike, with some

scree Scree is a collection of broken rock fragments at the base of a cliff or other steep rocky mass that has accumulated through periodic rockfall. Landforms associated with these materials are often called talus deposits. The term ''scree'' is ap ...

Historical names

*"Wemagooah Kazuhchich,”(Ute) or “Ancient Mountain Heart Sits There.” *Mount Sopris *Sopris Peak

Glacial Activity

Mount Sopris is famed for its extensive rock glaciers that rest in the mountain's cirques. The cirques on Mount Sopris were formed by ancient ice

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

s. As the mountain has eroded, the cirques have been filled with rock glaciers, a slowing moving mass composed of a mixture of rock and ice. These rock glaciers creep down the mountain at a rate of around 10 inches every year and they provide a water source for creeks coming off the mountain.

References

External links

*Liv
Mount Sopris webcam

an excellent article with many further links
Rock Glacier on Mount Sopris
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sopris, Mount Mountains of Pitkin County, Colorado White River National Forest Roaring Fork Valley Three-thousanders of the United States Volcanoes of Colorado